Kayla Harrison has officially jumped ship.
Another free agency period has been completed for the former two-time Professional Fighters League (PFL) Lightweight champion, Harrison. This time around, however, she isn’t staying put as Harrison was announced to have signed with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) by the promotion’s CEO, Dana White, last night (Tues., Jan. 23, 2024).
Harrison, 33, will fall right into the mix in what will be her new division of Bantamweight when she debuts opposite the former champion, Holly Holm, at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.
“When I started competing, my goal was to be the best…the Olympic champion of #MMA,” Harrison said on Instagram. “The @UFC presents me with the opportunity to be just that. It’s been an amazing journey to reach this point, and I’m grateful for every step along the path. The highs and lows have all shaped me and made me an even better version of myself. God’s timing is perfect, and I am sure of one thing: My time is now. Let’s goooooo!”
All but one of Harrison’s 17 career bouts (16-1) has taken place in the PFL SmartCage. Her lone venture out of the organization saw her enter the Invicta Fighting Championship cage and resulted in arguably her most violent performance. The fight was also Harrison’s Featherweight debut, and poor Courtney King found herself on the receiving end of a brutal ground-and-pound elbow onslaught that ended by second round technical knockout.
In UFC, Harrison will again get the full range of ground violence at her disposal with legal elbow strikes. Reacting to the news earlier today (Weds., Jan. 24, 2024), PFL CEO, Peter Murray, had the following to say.
“Listen, we wish Kayla well,” Murray said at the PFL vs. Bellator pre-fight press conference (h/t MMA Fighting). “She’s a two-time champion with us, women’s 155, and she’s moving on to UFC. She’s going to be on a historic card, which I believe is a testament to the level and quality of talent in the PFL. We wish her well.”
Initially complimentary towards Harrison, once the mention of the possible Cris “Cyborg” Justino match up was brought up, Murray pointed his finger more sternly.
“We had the fight that matters,” Murray said. “The fight that matters most. Candidly, the biggest fight in women’s sports, in MMA. Ultimately, Kayla made a decision to move on. We wanted to make that fight, but once again, we’re going to continue building what we’re building. We have a great PFLW roster, and in respect to contract details, it’s all good. We’re supportive of Kayla.”